The Beginning of an Amateur

If you have read any of my blog then you understand that I am an amateur angler and that any information that I impart has been from the point of view of one amateur and meant to be for my fellow amateurs. That is to say that the tips and techniques I impart, work for me in my amateur status and as such may work for you as well. Yes, that is my disclaimer, just so that you know for sure that I do not claim to be a professional angler.

Today I want to begin with a question. Why do you think live worm fishing is so popular with new anglers? The answer is, because it’s simple. There is not a lot of technical information that one needs to remember in order to begin fishing. You place a worm on a hook, add a sinker and a bobber, cast out and let it sit there until the bobber tells you that you have a fish. Let’s be real, almost every amateur angler began fishing with a Spincast rod and reel combo already loaded with line. Why? Because it’s simple. It’s because when you first begin a journey into fishing, you don’t want to think about all the technical information that goes along with it. I honestly believe that too much information when you first come into fishing is harmful to a new angler.

If you are trying to get someone interested in fishing, you don’t start them with a Baitcasting reel and start talking about pitching and flipping. You don’t tell them that in one situation you want to use a Strike King Rodent in Summer Craw color on a 3/4 ounce 5/0 jig head using a 6.3:1 ratio on a 6’6” medium/heavy rod with moderate action and 20 lb Maxima fluorocarbon line, but in the next situation you want to use a bobber stop, 5/16 ounce tungsten worm weight and 4/o straight shank hook with a Zoom Brush Hog in Bull Frog color on a 7.1:1 ratio on a 7’11” heavy rod with fast action and 30 lb. hi-vis yellow braid line. If you are like me, someone telling me that when I first began fishing would have been enough to scare me away from it.

It’s only when you gain some experience that you start to get into artificial lures and techniques. It’s only as you gain experience that thoughts of line strengths and types, rod lengths and actions, type of reels and gear ratios, and lure weights, colors, and presentations should be considered. Too fast, is too bad. Go too fast and the new angler could be lost and decide that they would rather be doing anything other than fishing.

You want fishing to be a fun experience for the new angler and the fun to a new angler is in the catching of fish, not in the confusion of technical information. Start them slow and as they are enjoying how much fun fishing can be, then you can slowly work them into other areas. Remember, we didn’t start out as experts ourselves. Every angler has the beginning of an amateur.

Tight lines, the Amateur Angler